According to WHO statistics, more than a million cases of development of malignant tumors of the mammary glands are diagnosed in the world every year. In our country, this figure is 50 thousand. Mortality from this disease is approximately 50%. The decrease in this indicator is prevented by the lack of organized preventive screening for the early detection of breast cancer.
Currently, breast cancer (breast cancer) has more than 30 forms. The most common nodular (multicentric and unicentric) and diffuse cancer (edematous-infiltrative and mastitis-like forms). A rarer form is Paget's disease. We will figure out whether a complete cure is possible with stage 2 breast cancer.
Causes
The occurrence and development of this cancer is facilitated by the presence of certain factors. The vast majority of the disease occurs in women, the development of malignant neoplasms in men is noted 100 times less. Most often, breast oncology occurs in women older than 35 years. A complicated gynecological history: inflammatory and hyperplastic diseases of the genital organs, menstrual irregularities, lactation disorders, infertility increases the risk of malignant pathologies of this type. What are the causes of breast cancer? Pathology has a certain hereditary dependence: malignant tumors in close relatives, cancer-associated genodermatoses, milk-ovarian syndrome, a combination of breast cancer with sarcoma, oncological tumors of the lungs, adrenal gland of the larynx. Another factor in the development of the disease are metabolic and endocrine disorders: metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension, pathologies of the pancreas, liver, and immunodeficiency.
The reason for the development of breast cancer can be non-specific carcinogenic factors: chemical poisons, smoking, an unbalanced high-calorie diet with a low protein content and rich in carbohydrates, a mismatch between lifestyle and biorhythms, ionizing radiation.
Stage classification
Oncological pathologies of the mammary gland are usually classified according to the stages of development:
- Stage 1 breast cancer. A malignant tumor in diameter does not exceed 2 cm, does not affect the fiber surrounding the gland. There are no metastases.
- Breast cancer stage 2. It is divided into two subspecies. IIa stage is characterized by the presence of a tumor of 2-5 cm, which has not yet grown into fiber, or by the formation of smaller sizes, affecting the surrounding tissue. Metastases at this stage of cancer, as a rule, are also absent. At stage II b, metastases develop in regional lymph nodes located in the armpits. Often there is metastasis to the parasternal intrathoracic lymph nodes.
- Stage III also has two varieties. A stage III tumor in diameter reaches more than 5 cm or grows in the muscle layer located under the mammary gland. At the same time, the symptom of “lemon peel”, retraction of the nipple, swelling often develops, ulcerations on the skin and discharge from the nipple are sometimes observed. There are no metastases. At stage III b, multiple metastases occur in axillary lymph nodes or single metastases in subclavian and parasternal nodes.
- IV stage - terminal. The disease affects the entire gland, grows into neighboring tissues, destiminates the skin, manifests itself in the form of extensive ulcerations. Also, tumors of any size that metastasize to other organs and neoplasms fixed to the chest are referred to this stage.
Features of stage II oncology
It is not always possible to establish stage 1 breast cancer. The disease is progressing. In medicine, it is believed that stage II is the initial stage of the development of the oncological process. This degree is most often characterized by a tumor size of not more than 5 cm with a predominant lesion of the axillary lymph nodes.
Symptoms of stage II oncology are:
- the presence of tightness in the chest;
- soreness, which is permanent, unreasonable;
- edema;
- breast deformity;
- the skin peels, becomes wrinkled, redden or darken, the skin may be hot to the touch;
- the shape of the nipple changes;
- the presence of discharge from the nipples;
- development of hollows on the mammary gland;
- enlarged lymph nodes in the axillary region, their soreness.
Stage 2 breast cancer is treated with surgery. Two operation options can be used for this:
- Mastectomy - breast removal.
- Breast-preserving intervention, in which the malignant formation itself is removed directly. After the operation, radiation therapy is mandatory.
Many people care about the question - is a complete cure possible in stage II breast cancer? After surgery, the prognosis for recovery in most cases is favorable, but subject to the correctness of all ongoing therapeutic measures and constant monitoring of health in the future.
Common symptoms of breast cancer
In the early stages, this cancer is not manifested in any way, but with palpation, a dense formation can be easily detected in the tissues of the gland. In most cases, a woman notices him during self-examination, or it is determined during an ultrasound of the mammary glands, mammography, other diagnostic measures, during a preventive visit to the doctor. Without appropriate therapy, the tumor grows, progresses, grows into the skin, subcutaneous tissue and muscles. Further metastases develop that affect regional lymph nodes. With blood flow, cancer cells are transferred to other tissues and organs. Breast cancer most often spreads metastases to the liver and brain. In advanced cases, necrotic decay of the formation occurs, and malignant organ damage leads to death.
Diagnostics
The most important method for early diagnosis of cancer is a thorough and regular self-examination. This is especially true for women who are at risk - over the age of 35 years. Self-examination is recommended every month. Initially, it is necessary to examine the chest in front of the mirror. In this case, deformities are detected, an increase in the size of one of the mammary glands becomes noticeable. Feeling of the breast is also considered mandatory, through which you can notice discomfort, soreness and changes in the consistency of the gland. Pressure should also be applied to the nipples in order to detect abnormal discharge. If you have a symptom of "lemon peel", you should immediately consult a mammologist.
In the diagnosis of this disease, some instrumental diagnostic methods are used (ultrasound with dopplerography, mammography, thermography, ductography, breast MRI). They allow you to study the tumor in detail and evaluate its size, shape, degree of damage to surrounding tissues.
An important diagnostic method is also a biopsy of the mammary gland and further cytological examination of the tumor, which shows the presence of cancer growth. Among modern examination methods, one should also note a radioisotope study, microwave RTS, scintiomammography.
Treatment
Breast cancer is well treatable. Small tumors located in the breast tissue are removed, and cases of recurrence of remote non-metastatic cancer are most often not observed.
The treatment of the disease is surgical. The choice of the type of operation depends on the size of the oncological tumor, the degree of damage to the lymph nodes and surrounding tissues. Previously, almost all women with a diagnosed malignant tumor underwent radical mastectomy (removal of the gland, as well as adjacent muscles of the chest and lymph nodes). Nowadays, a modified analogue of this operation is increasingly being made when the muscles of the chest are retained (if they are not affected by the pathological process).
With small tumor sizes in the treatment of stage 2 breast cancer, a partial mastectomy is increasingly performed today: only the part of the gland affected by the tumor with a small amount of surrounding tissue is removed. Such an operation is usually carried out simultaneously with radiotherapy. It shows cure results comparable to radical mastectomy.
The consequences of radiation therapy for breast cancer are not as sad as patients programmed for themselves, especially patients aged. The dose of ionizing radiation is not so large that hair begins to fall out, nausea begins, or radiation sickness appears. There is no such. There are side effects when irradiating the mammary gland from the general condition of the patient. They are manifested by severe fatigue, but by the end of the course of treatment all the consequences go away. And after a couple of months, all the symptoms will disappear. Sometimes, some patients may experience pain in the area of the breast.
Removal of lymph nodes helps reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. If metastases are found in the lymph nodes removed during surgery, a course of radiation therapy is given to the patients. Is a complete cure for stage 2 breast cancer possible, interesting for many patients.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy for breast cancer is one of the main methods of treatment. Sometimes it is used as the only method of influencing a tumor. The effectiveness of the therapeutic regimen depends on the type of cancer cells and stage of the disease. Most often, this method is part of the complex treatment of breast cancer.
Chemotherapy for stage 2 breast cancer is a cytostatic effect on cancer cells. At the same time, blood products introduced into the body are distributed throughout the body and distributed throughout the tissues. This ensures a systematic therapeutic effect, since the drugs act not only on the primary tumor focus, but also on distant disseminated metastases. As a result, the growth of cancer cells is inhibited even in small, not yet diagnosed metastases.
Preparations
Two main categories of chemotherapy drugs are distinguished:
- With a cytostatic effect (inhibit cell division processes and clonal proliferation, cause apoptosis of cells that have lost the ability to reproduce).
- With cytotoxic effects (disrupt the functioning of cellular organelles and cause cell death, contribute to the development of tumor necrosis).
Oncology chemotherapy drugs can act on protein molecules that bind to nucleic acids or are responsible for cell formation. Some of them disrupt or slow down the processes of gene replication, others - contribute to the formation of toxic free radicals or have an antimetabolic effect.
Each drug has a specific principle of action, which is the basis of the clinical classification of drugs for chemotherapy. In breast cancer, certain treatment regimens may be prescribed, including an individually selected combination of different drugs.
Chemotherapy drugs do not have the selectivity of their influence, they negatively affect the vital activity of all body cells. However, antineoplastic cytostatics maximally affect only actively dividing cells. So, is a complete cure possible with stage 2 breast cancer? About it further.
Prognosis for recovery
According to statistics, patients diagnosed with stage II of breast cancer recover in 87-93% of cases. With cancer II b, recovery is expected in 75-80% of cases.
In general, the prognosis for stage 2 breast cancer depends on at what stage the cancer is diagnosed and how quickly treatment is started. With a locally advanced form of oncology, life expectancy is 5 years. With a localized form of breast cancer, success rates are about 92%.
Oncology Nutrition
Dietary nutrition for breast cancer is aimed at reducing weight, which should help prevent recurrence of the cancer process, increase the chances of survival and improve the quality of life.
Women who have undergone radiation or chemotherapy are prone to weight gain, and therefore it is not recommended to exceed the amount of food consumed, and you should adhere to a special diet. Losing weight will reduce the risk of increased levels of insulin in the blood, body fats, and cancer symptoms.
The main principles of nutrition in breast oncology are:
- Compliance with the calorie content of food, taking into account weight. The larger the patient’s body weight, the less calorie should the diet be.
- The amount of protein consumed per day is 20%, and the same is the amount of fat. The remaining 60% is food with fiber: vegetables, fruits, cereals.
- Limited consumption of smoked and fatty dishes, red meat.
- Limiting the use of refined carbohydrates, salts and spices.
- Increased intake of vitamins.
- Food fraction, frequent meals in small volumes.
- Drink at least 2 liters of fluid per day.
- Dishes should be fresh and steamed (or by cooking).
Possible complications
If surgery for stage 2 breast cancer is not performed in a timely manner, the disease involves a tendency to quickly metastasize to individual tissues of the body, for example, to regional lymph nodes: subclavian, axillary, parasternal. Subsequently, with the lymphatic current, atypical cells spread along the scapular, supraclavicular, cervical and mediastinal lymph nodes.
In addition, tissues of the opposite side can be affected, that is, the oncological process can go to the second breast. Hematogenous metastasis affects the liver, respiratory system, brain, bone tissue and, in the absence of adequate therapy, leads to death.
We found out whether a complete cure for stage 2 breast cancer is possible.